Lessons Learned
by Sarge1
Summary: What's supposed to be a nice horseback ride doesn't go quite as planned...at all. DGCain
1. Escaping Lessons

_Title_: Lessons Learned

_Author_: Sarge1

_Rating_: T (to be safe)

_Summary_: A horseback ride doesn't quite go as planned. DG/Cain

_Disclaimer_: I beg you not to sue me because, because, because, because, BECAAAAUSE…because-I-don't-own-any-thing.

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**CHAPTER 1**

The expression on DG's face when she strolled into the palace stable was nothing short of gleeful. She was dressed in a fitted blue waist coat, beige riding breeches, and black leather knee-high riding boots, all tailored from scratch from drawings she had provided one of the palace seamstresses. She had tried to go for a more western look originally with chaps and a coat similar to Cain's, but the Queen had found the designs far too unseemly for a princess to be seen in. Heck, getting her mother to agree to pants at all had been a huge fight in its own right. DG was just glad she had won.

Today was the day, the day to escape the magic lessons from Tutor, etiquette lessons from Mistress Hoffennagel of the Eastern Guild, ballroom lessons from Glitch…or Ambrose (whatever he was going by at the time), annoying dress fittings, and just all of the incessant naggings about pomp and prestige. Today DG was going for a ride.

She had been hoping to get Glitch to build her something akin to her motorcycle, but as soon as the Queen and Ahamo had caught wind of their plans, the whole project had been shut down much to DG's disappointment. But she was not to be deterred. She was going to escape today, even if it was just for a couple of hours, and no one was going to stop her.

"Where ya off to, Princess?"

Except maybe Cain.

DG cringed and then turned to face the man. She clasped her hands together in front of her and rocked back on her heels a bit. "I wish you'd quit calling me that."

"What?"

"Princess. You sound so…Han Solo. Next thing you know, I'll be dressed up in a metal bikini serving as a slave girl to some huge slug." Although, the idea of him being like Han Solo wasn't such a bad one considering how he and Princess Leia had ended up in the end.

Cain blinked. "The only huge slugs live in the Glossen Mires of the distant Shade Realm and they much prefer to eat folk rather than keeping them as slaves…"

It was DG's turn to blink as beat passed between the two. "Yeaaaah, ok." And then finally she just waved him off, moving towards the horses. "I was DG before. I'm still DG now."

"You're ignoring my question," Cain pointed out, following slowly behind her.

"There was a question?" DG skillfully kept her eyes off of the man as she pretended not to remember, peeking in all of the stalls to determine which horse she wanted to ride.

Cain clenched and then unclenched his jaw. "Yes, the one about where you thought you were goin'."

She glanced quickly at him. "Out."

"Out where?" he prodded.

With a huff, she turned to face him, her hands on her hips. "Well, gee, Cain, I'm in the stable. I wonder what that could mean. Hmmm…" She really couldn't have been much more sarcastic even if she had wanted to be.

Cain was beginning to look a little less on the tolerant side and more on the "you're-acting-like-a-child-so-I-might-as-well-just-toss-you-over-my-shoulder-and-haul-you-back-inside" one instead. "So, you're thinking about goin' riding…"

"Ding! Ding! Ding! Mr. Wyatt Cain wins the fifty-thousand dollar prize!" DG turned back to the horses. Most of them were black, looking very much akin to Friesians from the Other Side. There were a few others. A big chestnut, a dark bay, a silver dapple, and then at the very end, the most gorgeous golden palomino she had ever seen. She gasped in delight and stroked the large horses face.

"You have lessons, Princess," Cain decidedly pointed out, leaning against one of the stable pillars and crossing his arms.

DG shot him a withering look. "What did I say about the princess thing?" she groused, "And I have lessons _all_ of the time. _One_ day off isn't going to kill anyone."

Cain breathed in a slow breath. "You have lessons every day, _DG_," he was putting emphasis on her name to make a point, "because eventually you're going to be queen of all of the O.Z. and you're going to need to know all these things you're learning."

"Well, what if I don't want to be queen?" DG retorted, "Az should be queen. She's older."

"Your sister doesn't want to be queen, not after all she's been through, and it's her right to give up the position if she so pleases."

DG knew all of this, had been over it may times with her family, but still… It was all just too much for her. One day she was just a small town girl working in a diner and now suddenly she's a queen-to-be of an entire world, so to speak. It was overwhelming.

She huffed again. "Maybe she should give it to someone else."

"Princess–"

"What?!" she exclaimed, stomping her foot in frustration. "I don't want to be queen! And stop calling me 'Princess'!!"

Cain settled the younger woman with one of his signature _looks_. "You're actin' like a child."

DG frowned deeply. "Yeah, well, you're acting like…like……_you_." She just about slapped herself in the forehead for the lameness of that comeback.

"Uh…huh…"

"I'm going riding," she grumped and turned back to the palomino she was still stroking.

"And your lessons?"

"And my lessons will have to wait until tomorrow," DG replied as she looked around for the right tack for the horse she had chosen.

"Mistress Hoffennagel won't like that," Cain pointed out. "I mean, you know how she gets when you're even the slightest bit late…"

"Yeah, yeah. I know."

"And what did your mother say about upsettin' Mistress Hoffennagel?"

DG rolled her eyes. "Don't hassle the Hoff. _I know_, but she's just gonna have to deal with it for one day because I'm not going," she stated. "I'm going for a nice relaxing ride and no one, not even you, Mister Tougher-Than-Nails Tin Man, is going to stop me. Understand?"

Cain bit back a smirk at that. Obviously the Queen hadn't used those exact words about the treatment of Mistress Hoffennagel, but DG was DG, strange sayings and all, and that didn't seem like it was going to be changing anytime soon. For that, he was secretly glad. He liked her just as she was…even when she was acting like a child of five annuals.

"I could inform the queen of your intentions," he half-threatened.

"I'd be gone before anyone she sent could stop me."

"I could stop you."

"Didn't I just say you weren't going to?"

"Weren't and couldn't are two different things, Princess." One of her eyes narrowed at his once-again address of her title and this time he did smirk.

DG stopped what she was doing and crossed the three paces between them where she then firmly planted a finger in the Tin Man's chest. "You_aren't_ going to tell my mother and you _aren't_ going to stop me." She prodded him with each use of the word "aren't". "And you _will_ stop calling me princess."

He raised an eyebrow, amusement dancing in his ice blue eyes. "Is that so?"

"Yes."

"Would that by any chance be a _command_?" he questioned, watching as annoyance flashed through her large doe-like eyes. "Like a _princess_ giving a command? 'Cause if it's just DG, I might have half the mind to ignore everything you're saying right about now."

With a heaving sigh and another firm poke in the chest, DG nodded. "Yes, fine, Mister Cain, I'm _commanding_ you."

He nodded in return and she suddenly looked relieved, as if she had just been let off the hook. She turned back to the horse and lead him out of the stall to the cross ties where she hooked him up and then tried to figure out which bit of tack went where.

"But…"

The single word stopped DG short. She slowly turned back to face him, her features clearly show the sudden apprehension she was feeling. "But?"

"I'm going with you." Cain watched as DG opened her mouth, obviously to protest, before cutting her off, "As your Royally-appointed bodyguard, it's my duty to keep you within my sights and protected at all times. And since you're commanding me as a princess not to rat you out, I gotta conclude that that makes this a royal matter and therefore, I gotta do my job."

He tried to keep his composure, but the baffled look on her face made the tiniest of wicked grins light up his features. "So, either I go with you or I make mighty sure that you get to your lessons today."

DG still looked bewildered. "Cain, that's…that's blackmail!"

He didn't deny it. "And it's the deal, too."

A slow sigh escaped DG's lips. He had won. She knew that and she wasn't happy about it. Although, the more she thought about it, the more the idea of going on a nice leisurely ride with none other than the much, but secretly, adored Wyatt Cain appealed to her. "Fine," she finally acquiesced. "But hurry up. The last thing I want is for the Hoffennageler to come buzzing in here going on about how unsightly and un-princess-like my pants are and whatever else."

Cain's expression remained neutral as he pulled the silver dapple, an Andalusian most likely (by Other Sidely standards anyway), and tacked the horse up faster than DG thought was humanly possible, and then he did the same to the palomino.

DG looked around for a moment for a mounting block before two hands suddenly gripped her sides and practically threw her up on the horse. She squealed slightly and then glared down at Cain. He wasn't even paying attention. He was adjusting her stirrups so they were the right length. Once complete, he walked over to the dapple and swung himself up. "Let's go, kid. We haven't got all day."

Watching as he took the lead, DG took a moment to further glare at the man, albeit at his back this time, and the started after him. She swore he could be so infuriating sometimes, and he knew when he was doing it which made it even worse.

But God, she had fallen so hard for him and she knew that, too. What made_that_ worse was that it was more than obvious that Cain absolutely clueless to her affections, clueless as to how hard her heart beat every time he gazed at her with his piercing eyes, clueless to how much it hurt her to realize that she'd never be anything more to him than a princess, his charge, and, in his words, a kid.

TBC…

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(A/N: Ok, so this is my first attempt at a _Tin Man_ story. I've been reading everything up here on and it just inspired me to attempt my own. I'm a little iffy on whether I have people in character or not –it drives me nuts when they're not– so any feedback on that aspect would be greatly appreciated. I know I have DG acting like a brat in the first chapter, but she gets better in the rest of the story! And fear not, mayhem awaits for those who dare continue to read! Feed my muse and CLICKY CLICKY!)


	2. Riding Lessons

_Disclaimer_: I beg you not to sue me because, because, because, because, BECAAAAUSE…because-I-don't-own-any-thing.

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**SHOUT OUTS!**

(_Author's Note_: Before I actually do my usual individual shout outs, I'd like to thank you all for such an amazing response!! I never imagined so many people would read it and actually review! You guys rock!)

_Donna8_ – LOL! Sorry about not getting the next chapter up right away, but you know how the holiday season is. I could only sit down to write when I wasn't being attacked by shopping and wrapping presents…and packing for NYC where I am moving on Jan 3rd. But I digress! Thanks for the review! I'm glad you're enjoying it!!

_Glitter4Ever_ – THANKS! –hugs–

_Liz-Bathory_ – YAY for loving it! I'm not sure that the dialogue is PERFECT, but thanks anyway!! Your review means a lot!

_shippergrl25_ – Yeah, I'm definitely agreeing with you on the hick thing. I only really watched _Tin Man_ once so I didn't pay close attention to how Cain spoke (I was drooling over him too much!). He does say some things in a very Western like style, but definitely not hick. Thanks for the review!

_safarigirl83_ – HEHEHEHE!! "Don't hassle the Hoff" amuses me greatly as well. I just HAD to put it in there.

_anon_ – Yeah, Cain is definitely a bit more teasing than he is in the mini-series, but I figured they'd been together for a while now, probably a couple of months, so he probably feels a bit more liberty to bug her like she does to him all the time. Glad you love it!

_Vince_ – Aye, Vincey, I do agree with the Cain iffy-ness, but I did say that in the author's note at the bottom. I'm working on making it better. And I'll get to the others later. Right now it's strictly Cain and DG! HEHE! Oh, and… "Every time a bell rings…" You're up!

_Quest_ – Could there be anything more wonderful than _Tin Man_ and horses? I don't think so! HEHEHE Oh, and I made sure to make mention of the Friesians just for you because I know you flovels them so!

_jcap1526_ – You really thought Cain was dead-on? I wasn't sure. HEHE Thanks for the review! Means a lot!

_DruidLass_ – Of course there'll be more, Druid! I don't do oneshots! LOL! And totally! Cain can be so irritating at times, but he's just so cute, you can't be mad at him for long! LOL!

_DrWho4u_ – Syd! Darling! I feel ya on the laziness thing. Holiday season/Finals can be SOOOO draining! I'm glad I have pleased you, hehehe. It's what I live to do! –big hugs–

_heathenseyes_ – Yes, I thought DG had a right to be a little bratty. I know I would be if I were in her situation! Thanks for the review!

_juniper holly _– Yeah, I'm getting the same from the others about Cain, and from myself as well. I had a feeling Cain was a bit off in the first chapter. I really want them to sound exact which is why I asked for feedback on the subject, which, in your case, I GREATLY appreciated. It was very helpful indeed. Hopefully he's improved some in this chapter:-D Thanks so much!

_Lady Taevyn_ – The Muse thanks you greatly for the cookie, and I thank you greatly for the review! I'm glad you love it and that you thought it was brilliant! You make me want to blush! LOL! Thanks again!

_Sanela_ – Cain won't be clueless for long! And yes, I thought the "Don't hassle the Hoff" thing was funny too. I was giggling when I wrote it. Thanks for the review!

_WhiteLakePriestess_ – Hehehe! –helps pick your jaw off the floor and then hugs– Yeah, when I reread it once it was up, I noticed my mistakes. I don't have a beta so we'll just blame the keyboard then, shall we? The keys were TOTALLY moving around on me! –scolds them– Hopefully this chapter will have less errors! Thank you SO much for the review!

_Kipling Nori_ – HEHE! I just HAD to put a Han and Leia reference in there…even if it's more the opposite for DG and Cain. DG is more like Han and Cain is more like Leia personality-wise. At least for _Star Wars_ and the _Empire Strikes Back _anyway. And OF COURSE DG is falling for Cain. How could she not? HEHE! Thanks for the review!

_Ginny Lovegood_ – Glad you're lovin' it and thank you for the review!

_MythStar Black Dragon_ – Amazing? Awww, you're making me blush!

_Half-elf_ – I'm quirky in real life so it tends to end up in my stories, but I'm glad that you love it! And the _Star Wars_ reference? I just HAD to!! I'm glad it had a capturing effect on you, hehe!

_Chibikaz_ – Oh yeah, DG is totally frustrated and with good reason! I know I'd feel the same way in her place! Thanks for the review!

_JacquelineRoget_ – I am! I am! LOL! Here's your next chapter!

_C.M.Bryans_ – HEHE! YAY for loving it! And thank you for the review!

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**CHAPTER 2**

"I thought when you said that you were going riding that you actually knew how to," Cain said slowly as he rode alongside DG.

She glanced at him, frowning a bit. "I do," she replied in an almost indignant-like manner.

The man raised an eyebrow. "From here it looks like you're just sitting and holding on for dear life."

Truthfully, she was. "Cain, I grew up in Kansas." She said it like it was supposed to mean something to him. "It's like the land of wheat and livestock. Everyone knows how to ride there."

"Well I reckon you missed a few lessons," he replied, giving her a pointed look.

DG narrowed her eyes at him for a moment. "Yeah, ok, fine. It's been like…ten years, annuals, _whatever_ since I rode a horse, and even then he wasn't really a horse. He was my neighbor's fat old pony. His name was Mister Chuckles and he bit me."

Cain couldn't help but smirk. "If I'd known that, I would have put you on the chestnut instead."

"…Why?"

"Because Mickolai spooks easily."

"Mickolai?"

"The horse you're on."

"Right." DG pursed her lips a moment and then shrugged. "Well, he hasn't spooked yet, have you, Mick?" She patted the golden horse's muscular neck and got a snort in reply. She smiled up at Cain. "I think he likes me."

Cain didn't smile back exactly, but amusement could easily been seen in his eyes. "Heels down."

DG blinked. "Huh?"

"If you want to ride proper, you have to learn first," Cain stated, pulling back on his reins to stop his own horse and then climbing down. "Now push your heels down and keep you knees in."

"More lessons?"

"More lessons."

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"Watch that left heel, DG," Cain said as he moved around to watch the princess's positioning and the horse's movements as the pair circled around him. "You're not waltzing with Glitch so quit going up on that toe."

"Sorry," she murmured with a pant, pushing her heel down. She hadn't realized learning to ride properly was such hard work. People in the movies made it look so easy!

"Good." Cain's eyes remained on her the whole time, his gaze unwavering. At first it had been strictly clinical, his attention solely on her position and form…but now, it was on her _form_. Her delicate curves, the way her dark locks danced with each movement of the horse and shone in the afternoon light, her beautiful blue eyes sparkling with determination, her bottom lip caught between her teeth in concentration –he couldn't take his eyes off of her.

"…right?"

He blinked. He hadn't even realized she had been talking to him. "What?"

DG frowned a bit, glancing at him. "I asked if I was doing it right."

Cain nodded, quickly regaining his composure. "Yeah, you've got it now, but make sure you keep your legs like that." He crossed his arms. "If your knees leave the saddle or your heels come up, you lose a lot of your control."

"Keep my legs tight and heels down, got it." She nodded before smiling at him, obviously quite pleased with herself that she had made progress. "Now why can't you teach the rest of my lessons? They'd be so much more interesting."

"Teaching someone to ride a horse is one thing, kiddo," he began, his eyes still never leaving her as she and the palomino continued to circle around him, "But etiquette and dancing," he shook his head, "not my thing."

DG shot him a pouty look.

He just shook his head and then moved over to his horse, swinging himself up into the saddle. "I think you've learned enough to go on a short ride along the trails before we head back to the palace."

"Do we _have_ to head back to the palace?"

"Yes, but we _don't__have_ to go for a ride."

DG narrowed an eye at him. "You drive a hard bargain, Mister Cain."

"Life's hard." He coaxed his steed up next to hers and then made a motion with his head, gesturing towards the woods. "Let's go."

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"You never said if you liked my outfit," DG said as she rode alongside Cain, looking over at him with her large, endearing eyes.

Cain glanced at her. "It's nice."

"That's it?" she questioned incredulously, one delicate eyebrow raised. "'It's nice.' That's all I get?"

What did she want him to say? That the way her fitted jacket molded to her curves made his heart pound so hard he thought it might burst out of his chest? That her tight riding pants made him feel as if he were eighteen annuals old again? That he hadn't felt this way about_anyone_ before, not even in the first few blissful years of marriage to Adora?

He cleared his throat and shifted a bit in his saddle. "It's very nice."

DG suddenly grinned as she realized she had made the man uncomfortable. "Wyatt Cain!" she exclaimed, her eyes sparkling with pure delight. "Are you _blushing_?"

Cain opened his mouth to deny it, but before he could, the sound of a gunshot boomed through the forest, spooking both of the horses. He made a lunge for DG's reins, but wasn't quick enough. The palomino reared up, throwing her, and then bolted. His horse shifted frantically from hoof to hoof, obviously wanting to follow Mickolai, but Cain held him back.

DG landed hard, knocking the window out of her and cracking the back of her head on the solid ground. The trees spun before her eyes as she stared up at them before she clenched them closed against the agonizing pain spiking through her skull.

Cain glanced down at her, watching as she clutched her head and rolled on her side, obviously in pain, but then other movement caught his eye. His head shot up just in time to see a group of Longcoats rushing through the trees, guns in hand, headed their way. "DG!!"

She groaned.

"DG, get up!" Cain called desperately. "Get up now!"

Rolling back over onto her back, DG slowly opened her eyes. Everything was still spinning, but the urgency in Cain's voice compelled her to move. She managed to stagger to her feet and then moved toward the big white-gray blob that was Cain's horse. She could hear movement quickly approaching from behind her, spurring her to walk faster. She stumbled a bit, but still managed to reach the horse.

"Give me your hand," Cain quickly commanded. When she blindly thrust it up in his direction, he grabbed it and swung her up onto the horse behind him.

Just as she was about to settle, another shot was heard and agony suddenly ripped through her shoulder, but she had no time to cry out before Cain reached back and pulled one of her arms around his waist, holding tightly onto her wrist, before he kicked the horse into a gallop.

They rode at breakneck speeds through the trees, the Longcoats hot on their trail. Cain held tight to DG with his one hand, steering the horse with the other. He didn't want her to fall off again, not with the enemy right behind them.

They charged through the river and up the bank, toward the mountains. It wasn't in the direction of the palace, but it was the only thing Cain could think of to do. He knew of several resistance hideouts that they could use once they had shaken their the men following them. The gray dapple seemed to pick up on their need and amazingly managed to gallop even faster, so fast that the hoof beats of the other horses chasing them began to grow further away.

The suns were setting as well. The cover of darkness would help if they could make it that long….

TO BE CONTINUED…

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(A/N: Hopefully Cain was a bit more in character in this chapter! I had to do the bit about Cain teaching DG to ride just because it amused me and because I could take it from my own experience. My riding instructor is always yelling at me to keep my heels down, although he's a bit more colorful when he says it. LOL! And as a promised in the first chapter, MAYHEM HAS BEGUN! Stick with me, folks! The next update will be up as soon as possible. It's Christmas, which you all know, and then I'm moving to NYC on Jan 3rd to attend the NY Film Academy so my time is gonna be a little sketchy, but I'll do my best to try to be consistent with getting chapters written and posted. –HUGS TO ALL– Oh, and CLICKY CLICKY!)


	3. Life Lessons

_Disclaimer_: I beg you not to sue me because, because, because, because, BECAAAAUSE…because-I-don't-own-any-thing.

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**SHOUT OUTS!**

_Vince_ – Shippy is what it's all about, baby! Better get used to it! MUAHAHA! Still working on perfecting Cain, but it will come with time. Yeeees. And! "People of the Tau'ri –you have taken what is mine…" You!

_Sanela_ – You and me both! Although, I ride English and he seems the type to teach you to ride Western…But, then again, I'd think English would be more the style of princesses so he can probably teach both! LOL!

_safarigirl83_ – Exciting is what I live for! LOL! Here's your next chapter!

_scrawn_ – I'm telepathic. I know what fandoms you like and therefore PURPOSELY write fics for them just for you! HEHEHE! Actually I really have no clue. I guess we just have very similar tastes. ROCK ON US!

_Ginny Lovegood_ – Thank you very much! Hopefully this one will be great, too!

_Dr-who-4-u_ – Your wish is my command, Syd! And this is me. I gotta add a little drama/mayhem, but don't worry! DG is in the hands of the gloriously magnificent and gorgeous Wyatt Cain! What could go wrong? LOL!

_neefalco_ – Thank you for both the lovely review and the good luck wishes! Both mean a lot!

_Transgenic-girl_ – HEHEHE! I don't think I've ever had a review about my author's notes before! It made me giggle. And here you are, more story!

_shippergrl25_ – I like to surprise my readers. HEHE! And twists are what I live for! Thanks for the revie!

_SSGryffindorgirl7_ – Awww, thank you! I'm so pleased that you liked both chapters! Hopefully you'll find this one enjoyable as well!

_heathenseyes_ – When in such a urgent situation, it's much easier to throw a person on the back of a horse than pull them up the front. They do it in some sort of Western races at like county fairs and such. As I ride English, I'm not sure what the actual name is, but they'll have one person gallop the horse down to the other end of the arena, grab a second person and swing them up behind them on the horse, and then take off. Best time wins obviously. HEHE! But don't worry. She'll end up riding in the front by the end of the story, I promise! HEHE! Thanks for the review!

_WhiteLakePriestess_ – Don't fall off your seat!! –shovels up brain goo and pours it back inside– You're gonna need your brain to read the next chapter and continue your worshiping :-P ! And I'm so glad you find this story brilliant! That totally makes my day!

_Mirgonus_ – Well, here it is! I hope you enjoy this chapter, too! Thanks for the review!

_anon_ – Gah! I seriously need a beta! –beats error to death– Evil thing! It happens mostly because I write at night and my brain goes a little wonky, hehe. Let's cross our fingers that there aren't many or ANY errors in this chapter!

_MythStar Black Dragon_ – Well, that's what the story is all about, Maria! Lessons! HEHE! And I don't know about you, but I wish I had a Cain protecting me! Yum. Hehehehe!

_Kipling Nori_ – HOORAY for a CLICKY CLICKY! Oh, I'm sure it can get better, and I have a feeling that it will! We just have to wait until my Muse cooperates! HEHE! SOOO glad that you love it!! Thank you so much for the review!

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**CHAPTER 3**

Night had long since fallen by the time the pair was able to stop. They had managed to lose the Longcoats a while back, but had kept going to not only put some distance between them and their pursuers, but also reach one of the resistance hideouts.

Cain pulled back on the reins, patting the horse's neck for a moment before he glanced over his shoulder at DG. He could just barely make out her pale features in the dull light of the moon. She was resting flush against his back, her head lolling to one side, eyes half-lidded. "DG?"

She didn't answer, not verbally anyway. Her eyes drifted sluggishly up in an attempt to meet his.

It scared him what he saw in those languid, blue orbs. Even in the dim light, he could see the agony radiating from them. His breath left him in fear. "DG?" he questioned again. This time it came out more as a whisper.

"Cain," she breathed, finally finding it within her to get at least one word out.

The man looked visibly relieved…until she spoke again.

"Sorry 'bout your coat." Her fingers traced weakly over the back of one of his shoulders. "Got some blood on it."

"Blood?" Cain's expression couldn't have been any more alarmed. "You're bleeding?" He tried to hide the panic in his voice, but was less than successful. He swung himself down off of the horse, keeping a steady hand on DG, before allowing her to slide down after him, catching her in his strong arms.

He carried her into the hideout, a cave strategically hidden by trees. No one would find them there. Placing her gently down, he moved to the corner with the supplies and found a lantern that he immediately turned on. When he turned back to DG, his heart immediately dropped.

Her skin was deathly pale and shimmering in the light with a sheen of sweat. Her expression was somewhat glazed over. And worst of all, covering the front of the left shoulder of her coat was a dark red stain. Blood. Her blood.

"Gods, DG," he breathed as he crouched beside her. "Why didn't you say something?"

She blinked a few times. "The horse," she murmured.

"What?" He frowned, confused.

"Bring the horse in…"

He caught her drift. His light-colored stallion was easy to spot against the dark hues of the forest and if he left him outside the entrance to the cave, they could be discovered. He hesitated for a brief moment, not wanting to leave her side, but then rushed outside for a few moments before returning with the horse trailing tiredly behind him. The cave was big enough for all three of them and then some, so they didn't have to worry about being trampled.

Cain moved back to DG's side. He looked her over for a moment before focusing on her ashen face. "I'm gonna have to take a look at it," he told her, looking deeply into her eyes to gauge her reaction. She nodded slowly and then seemed to hold her breath as he moved to take the coat off of her.

He unbuttoned the three large buttons holding it closed and then slowly slipped the sides back. He started to try to pull her good arm out of the sleeve but was stopped by a pitiful whimper that escaped DG's lips. He closed his eyes for just a moment before whispering, "It'd be easier if I just cut it off."

DG seemed to be becoming a little more coherent. "Already had one bastard put a hole through it," she replied softly, but to Cain's relief, there was still ounce of her fire in the answer, "So, s'already ruined. Cut away."

"Were you just insinuating that I'm a bastard?" Cain asked her, trying his best to lighten the dire mood.

"Only sometimes." She gave him a weak, but cheeky smile.

In an unconscious move, Cain gently brushed DG's unruly bangs out of her eyes and smiled ever so softly at her before he pulled a knife out of his boot and went to work cutting the coat off of her. "I suppose that's a fair assessment."

They fell into a silence as Cain worked. He cut off the front of her uninjured shoulder first before moving over to the other side. Even touching the material pulled a gasp of pain for DG. He frowned, but didn't look up at her, keeping his attention on his work.

"Glad you missed your lessons today?"

DG gave the man a weak look, but a _look_ nonetheless. "Don't you know it. Anything is better than Mistress Hoffennagel's etiquette lessons."

"Even getting shot?"

"And thrown off a horse, yeah, totally." Her head lolled a bit to the side so she could get a better view of his eyes as he concentrated on removing the rest of her coat.

"You're definitely a strange one, kid."

DG resisted the urge to say, "Yeah, but you love me anyway!" and instead said, "Yeah, uh huh, this coming from the man who makes a habit of getting shot all of the time."

He looked up at her. "Hey, I only got shot twice. And one didn't even pierce the skin."

There was a defiant glint in her pain-filled eyes. "Getting shot is getting shot whether it pierces the skin or not. And that was twice in a couple of days. God knows how many times you've probably been at the receiving end of a bullet before I got here…or, well, back here."

Cain bit back a smirk, but there was clearly levity in the look he gave her. "I assure you, Princess, that I usually make darn sure that I'm the one _delivering_ the bullets." With her focus fully on him, he took that opportunity to quickly peel the remaining part of her coat off of her wound.

DG let out a gasping cry and then scrunched her eyes closed until the pain ebbed back down.

"I'm sorry," Cain apologized. It was ripping his heart apart to see her in such agony and wished more than anything that Raw was there to heal her. He paused a beat to let her get her breath before saying, "I need to see if it's a through and through."

"It is," she said quickly with a slight pant. "I, uh, I was hit from behind, so if there's a hole up front…" she trailed off and finally reopened her eyes to look at him. She watched as he clenched his jaw furiously. It looked like he seriously want to hit something and she had no doubt that his preference would be one of the Longcoats.

He nodded stiffly and then glanced off to the side for a moment to think.

"Why were there even Longcoats out there?" DG asked, shifting uncomfortably. "I thought we rounded them up…"

"Not all of them," Cain replied, returning his eyes to hers. "And the word is that they're forming their own sort of resistance."

She immediately noticed his expression. "And they were after me…"

A sigh escaped the man's lips and he rubbed at the tension in the back of his neck. "Kidnapping a princess could give them a definite advantage as the Queen and your father would do anything to get you back."

"And yet they shot me," she pointed out. "Let us ponder the irony of that one for a moment."

Cain smirked ever so slightly. She was _definitely_ becoming more coherent now. "Well, if it's any consolation, Princess, I'm pretty sure they were aiming at me."

"You'd_think_ that'd be comforting, Cain, bu-uuut it really isn't," DG retorted before smiling just a bit. Just the thought of Cain being killed because of her made her stomach twist and her heart throb painfully. She couldn't lose him. She didn't know what she'd do without him.

There was a pregnant pause between the two before she glanced quickly down at her shoulder, unable to look at the wound for too long. "So Doc, what's the diagnosis?"

The Tin Man's expression suddenly grew grave, sending a jolt of panic through DG. He licked his lips and then said, "It's not good."

"Well, I kind of figured that much out on my own…"

He looked her directly in the eye. "No, DG," he began slowly, "I mean that you've lost a lot of blood and are still losing more. So, unless I can get it to stop…"

The reality hit her like a ton of bricks. "I'll die."

TO BE CONTINUED…

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(A/N: Hehehehe, like the cliffy? So, get this, my peeps, I'm out riding today –or really yesterday as it's 5am right now– and I totally must have been channeling DG from the last chapter because I got thrown off of my horse. Although, unlike her, my fall was a little less graceful and I landed on my ass…REALLY hard. I couldn't stand up for a good ten minutes. I thought I had broken my butt. Needless to say, I'm typing this out while lying on my stomach on my bed, exchanging icepack for heating pad on and off. I think I'll be standing all Christmas, or at least stealing my niece's old Boppy Pillow so that I don't have to put pressure on my poor bruised coccyx when I sit.

Now moving past my woe-is-my-bum story, let us with joyous glee give a hip-hip-HOORAY for me posting chapter three! Oh, wow, that totally rhymed. Forgive the quirkiness. I tend to go a little nutty at this time in the morning. But anywho, I hope you enjoyed it! Chapter four is already in the works and should be up after Christmas sometime. I wish you all a very, VERY **HAPPY CHRISTMAS** –or whatever holiday you may celebrate– and hope you get everything your heart desires this year! LOVE TO ALL and yes, remember to CLICKY CLICKY!!!)


	4. Painful Lessons

_Disclaimer_: I beg you not to sue me because, because, because, because, BECAAAAUSE…because-I-don't-own-any-thing.

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**SHOUT OUTS!**

_SSGryffindorgirl7_ – HEHEHE! Awww, the cliffy is so sad now. It was trying to be suspenseful! –pets it– Thanks for the review!

_Ginny Lovegood_ – DG seriously _is_ a magnet for trouble! But that's what makes her so fun!

_shippergirl25_ – That's what I thought! Poor Cain is always catching the bullets. I figured it was DG's time.

_Dr-who-4-u_ – DG definitely has a quirky personality! I love that about her, LOL! And Merry Santa-Time to you, too! –hugs–

_PandylBas_ – Well, of course! I don't do uninteresting cliffies! Look below and you'll see what happens next!

_heathenseyes_ – I'm a very wicked person, hehe. I like to leave people hangin'! Thank you so much for the offer to be my beta! I might just take you up on it on the next chapter. I'll send you a private message about it. Sound good?

_musicahumana_ – Well, thank you for reading it and reviewing!

_Glitter4Ever_ – HAHA! Psych! Here's your next chapter! You'll see in my author's note at the end why I ended up posting this today instead of waiting. –winks–

_scrawn_ – I'm trying my best! As long as the Muse is fed, chapters should come out as fast as my fingers can type! As for my MX stories, we'll see!

_Liz-Bathory_ – LOL!! Ok! Ok! Breathe! Thanks for the review!

_anon_ – Well, when you can't move because your rear end hurts too much, you tend to write more out of pure boredom! LOL!! Thanks for the support!

_K. A Zerlang_ – HEHEHE I'm evil, aren't I? This is as fast as I could get the next chapter out. And thanks! It's been quite painful to sit around, but I've managed! Thanks for the review!

_Mirgonus_ – I'll catch you! You can quit waiting now! And here's your next chapter!

_Transgenic-girl_ – Interesting is what I do! LOL! –Pulls up from cliff, hands over a blanket, and sends Flipper after the sharks to scare them away–

_christa33_ – YAY!! Glad you love it! Thanks SO much for the review!

_Sanela_ – HEHEHE I like being evil sometimes, but I'm also glad that you enjoyed the chapter despite the evilness! –hugs–

_jypzrose_ – Thank you! –huggles–

_Vince_ – Well done on the quote…even though you had to look it up! He can hide his feelings just fine. And this is supposed to be a DG/Cain story. That means there will be sap. HEHE But you will read it regardless because you love me! –grin– And you know why I like shooting people. I'm a character masochist! Duh! HEHE! Ok, next one, "Second star on the right…"

_safarigirl83_ – Oh, I _can_ be that mean, but I could never do that to DG! I love her! So yes, our dear, sweet, hot Cain is just gonna have to save her life! YAY!

_Litwolf_ – HEHE Your wish is my command…Well, it might be past Christmas for you given I don't know what time zone live in, but regardless, here's the next chapter! And to answer your question, I think we find out when we meet Demilo, cuz he's all "Wyatt-freakin'-Cain!" But I could be wrong! LOL I'd have to watch it again to be sure.

_Takara-chan_ – No dying! Dying is so NOT allowed! LOL! Thanks for reviewing the first chapter and the third! And I'm SOOO flattered that I've been able to draw you in and keep you interested! Rock on!

_Jacqueline Roget_ – Welcome back!! And yes, deaths _are_ bad, but if I say anything more, I'll spoil the chapter you're about to read so you'll just have to find out for yourself what happens!

_jwdisney_ – YAY! I'm glad you love it! I swear when you're riding, you're trying to remember to do a million things at once and when you don't think about it, your heels just slip up! But eventually it becomes second nature. –shrugs– And the bum wasn't too bad. It gave me reason not to move off of the couch and have everyone else get everything for me! HAHA! And OMG, I totally know. I seriously want my own Cain.

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**CHAPTER 4**

"I'm not going to let you die, DG," Cain stated forcefully so that she knew without a shadow of a doubt that he was telling the truth. There was just no way in the O.Z. or beyond that he was going to let the woman he loved die, not on his watch.

The man suddenly faltered at the thought. The woman he_ loved_? He tried to digest the word. Had he really just thought that? Was that what he had been feeling all this time? Was it love? Could it be?

_Yes_.

The silent answer rocked him to the core and his heart began to beat faster than he thought possible. He gazed deeply into DG's eyes, past the pain, past the fear, and saw something that took his breath away. There, _right__there_, settled deep in those beautiful blue orbs reflecting back at him was the same exact look he had in his. _Love_.

Without reservation, Cain suddenly reached up and cupped DG's face with his hand, gently caressing her cheek with his thumb. "I _promise_."

DG's eyes glistened with tears and she nodded, unable to find her voice to reply.

With a resolute nod in return, he rose to his feet and walked back over to the supplies to see what could be used to treat DG's wounds. There was a small portable gas stove, rations and cooking equipment, a small supply of clothing, and finally, a medium sized box of what looked to be medical supplies. There was also a small spring of water than was feeding into the cave by way of some makeshift grooves that had been chipped into the rock. The water pooled in a wooden basin before it overflowed and disappeared between a large crack in the between the far wall and the cave floor.

Cain knew what he had to do, but it made his heart physically ache at the thought of it. Glancing over his shoulder, he made sure that DG was still awake before he turned back to the stove. It turned it on, relieved that there was some gas left to use, before he grabbed a tin pot and filled it with water, sticking it over the stove. When it began to boil, he put some bandages into the water to make them as clean as possible.

"Why do I feel like I'm in a John Wayne movie?" DG murmured as she watched Cain work.

"A what?"

She blinked. "Right," she said in remembrance. "No idea what I'm talking about. Never mind."

Letting the bandages boil, Cain got up and moved back over to her. He cut the sleeve off of the shirt she had been wearing underneath the coat and then cut along the seam toward her neck, allowing the fabric to drape away from the wounds. "DG…" he started slowly. "Pressure isn't going to stop this bleeding. So, there are two things I can do stop it until we get back to the palace and to a healer." He sucked in a breath. "One is fast, one is slow, both are gonna hurt…a lot"

"Spit it out, Cain," DG said as she tried her best to contain the fearful quiver in her voice.

His jaw clenched for a brief second before he replied, "Either I stitch it up or I cauterize it." He watched as she visibly paled even more if possible.

She had no idea what to say. On the Other Side, there was such thing as pain meds and anesthesia so you didn't have to feel anything while you were being patched up. But then again, the Other Side didn't have people like Raw who could heal with a touch of the hand. Oh, how she wished he was there at that moment. "Well, uh," she swallowed hard, "you're the bullet wound king. Which is, uh,…better?"

Cain licked his bottom lip, taking a breath. "Cauterization would hurt more, but it's a lot quicker and more sterile…But it's up to you, Princess."

A single tear escaped from DG's eye and slid down her cheek. She was so scared. "Don't call me that," she half-whispered, half whimpered.

He would have smiled has his heart not been breaking. A hoarse, "Sorry, kid," was the best he could do.

A few more tears escaped before DG sucked in a breath and nodded, trying to steel herself for the pain she knew was coming. "Just do it," she choked out.

Cain nodded gravely and then moved back over to the supplies. He pulled some of the bandages out of the boiling water to let them dry and then after making sure they weren't too hot, squeezed most of the excess water out of the others and walked back over to her. He cleaned the wounds on both back and front, trying his best not to close his eyes and just hold DG tightly to his chest every time she cried out in pain.

Task complete, he gave her a gentle look before he took his knife back over to the small gas stove. He put the blade in the flame until it had turned a blistering red. He pulled it out and inspected it for a moment before he finally moved back over to the crying girl. He paused a beat to roll up a bit of her jacket and handed to her. "Bite down on this," he told her, voice just strained enough for her to notice. The scream he knew this would pull from her could potentially be loud enough to attract the attention of any wandering Longcoats that could be nearby.

DG was next to sobbing now, but complied. She placed it in her mouth and then shakingly nodded.

Cain brushed away a few of her tears with a calloused finger before he softly said, "Keep you eyes on mine and don't look away." When her tear-filled eyes met his, he moved quickly, pressing the burning hot steel against her skin.

An agonizing scream was torn from her throat and was just barely muffled by the fabric in her mouth. She could hear the sizzle of her skin being burned closed and the smell of scorched flesh assaulted her senses; nausea churning violently in her stomach. Shadows began to creep into her vision.

She was left shaking and gasping, and trying beyond anything to stay tough like she always tried to be, but the moment Cain returned with the reheated blade, her face crumpled. She took the gag out of her mouth and shook her head at him, sobbing pathetically. She couldn't let him do that to her again. "No, Cain, no," she whimpered breathlessly.

The man knelt before her and without pause, gently pulled her up and to his chest. He held her tightly against him, stroking her hair with one hand. "Shhh, DG," he soothed. "I'm gonna take care of you." He allowed her a few moments to cry into his shoulder before he pressed her tighter to him and without warning, quickly removed the part of her coat and shirt that was still stuck to her wound in the back and then pressed the blazing steel against her skin.

Another scream was ripped from her throat, but his hold on her head made sure that it was done into his shoulder, again muffling it. He held the knife there until he was sure the wound was sealed before be finally let it drop and pulled DG fully into his arms. "Shhh, shhh, it's over, sweetheart. It's all over," he whispered into her ear as he gently rocked her, not even noticing the term of endearment slip from his lips.

She cried into his shoulder for a little while before she finally allowed her body to be overcome by the need to be unconscious. She slumped in Cain's arms as the darkness claimed her.

Cain continued to hold her, now more for himself than for her. He closed his eyes and buried his face into her hair, allowing a few silent tears of his own to escape. He had done what needed to be done. Without it, she would have bled to death. He knew that, but to cause her so much pain…It was almost too much for even a "Tougher-than-nails" Tin Man to handle.

TO BE CONTINUED…

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(A/N's: Ok, so I lied. I said I wouldn't post 'til after Christmas, but as my family has the weirdest tradition of waiting until after like our early Christmas dinner to open the main presents under the tree, I had nothing better to do that finish chapter four, lounge on my Boppy Pillow so not to put pressure on my bruised tailbone, and listen to Rob Dougan. Oh, and take Advil every 4 hours!

So, anyway, here is my Christmas/whatever-holiday-you-celebrate present to you…even if it's past Christmas for some of you now since it's 10:30PM EST! I hope you enjoyed this chapter. It was a bit shorter than the others and a little sap-ridden and angsty, but we all love it, don't we?...The sap and angst, that is. HEHE! Yeah, anyway. HAPPY HOLIDAYS –HUGS– TO ALL! Oh yes, and you know the two words that come next. CLICKY CLICKY!)


	5. History Lessons

_Disclaimer_: I beg you not to sue me because, because, because, because, BECAAAAUSE…because-I-don't-own-any-thing.

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**AUTHOR'S NOTES:** I was going to do SHOUT OUTS like usual, but I'm neck deep in getting ready to move to NYC and haven't got the time right at the moment, but I know y'all want the next chapter so I thought I'd forego them for now, but they'll definitely be in chapter six…for both chapters! THANKS SO MUCH EVERYONE!!!

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**CHAPTER 5**

DG didn't regain consciousness until the next morning. The darkness had been calm, blissful, but it was becoming very apparent that someone or something didn't want her to stay there in her quiet, pain-free place. Something was pulled her towards the surface. She tried to fight it, but it was to no avail.

She groaned softly as consciousness brought everything back in rolling waves of agonizing pain. "God," she croaked, not daring to open her eyes. She just wanted to go back to that state of oblivion she had been so rudely pulled out of.

And then she paused. Pulled out of? What had pulled her out of it?

Something nudged her thigh and then there was a brief moment of nothing before a loud snort right above her face startled her into opening her eyes. Hovering over her was a white blob. She blinked rapidly until her vision cleared.

It was Cain's horse.

DG narrowed an eye. "Go away," she groused, but was too weak to reach up and push the horse's head away.

Instead of listening to her, the horse did the exact opposite. He took a careful step forward and nuzzled the side of her faced. She frowned. "I said, hoof it, Gigantor." He really did look huge from her current point of view.

"Actually, his name is Flower," Cain stated as he stepped inside the hideout.

DG's expression went from startled, caused by Cain's suddenly entrance, to aghast as her brain processed what he had just said. "Who the hell would call this thing _Flower_?"

Cain smirked ever so slightly. "Well, actually his full name is Dauntless' Envy of Little Princess' Flower."

"You can't be serious."

"Dead serious. The sire is named Dauntless and the dam is Envy."

DG raised an eyebrow. "Yeah, I figured it was something like that. I know how horses are named."

"And yet you didn't know how to ride…"

"Shut it, Tin Man."

Cain crouched next to DG to check and change the bandages he had covered her wounds with after she had passed out. "You want to know the story of how Flower got his name?" he asked and after a moment, got a slow, slightly dubious nod of affirmation. He was glad. This way he would be able to somewhat keep her mind off of the pain he was sure to inflict on as he changed the bandages.

"Well, I was actually there the day he was named," he began as he carefully got to work. "I was on special assignment to deliver an urgent message from one of the Southern Guilds to the Queen. I was leading my horse into the stables to get him some water and feed when I came across a small girl."

DG winced as he pulled away the bandage from the wound on the front of her shoulder, but kept her eyes on him, listening intently to the story.

He glanced up from his work, his ice-blue eyes sparkling as he continued his tale. "She was standing on a bucket overlooking the door to one of the foaling stalls where inside stood the most beautiful dapple gray mare I had ever seen, and lying in the hay beside her was the tiniest white foal with the brightest eyes." He gently coaxed her up into a sitting so that he could remove the bandaging from the back.

"Now this little girl, who couldn't have been more than four or five annuals old, with her dark hair and sparkling blue eyes, was quite adamant that the new foal was hers and that she was going to name it, but as it was of the Royal horse line, the breeder and the stablehands were less than thrilled about the prospect of letting this wisp of a kid do such a thing."

DG was smiling softly. She could practically hear an almost adoration in Cain's tone as he spoke of the girl. It was a tone she rarely heard him use.

"I thought for sure that at any moment this girl was going to be shooed away and her dreams of naming the white foal would be crushed, but even when her nursemaid tried to coax her away, she refused to leave." There was a twinge of laughter in his voice as he continued, "She held onto the stall door for dear life and demanded that someone get her mother, utterly refusing to budge until the woman arrived."

"Weren't you supposed to be delivering an _urgent_ message?" DG questioned, raising an eyebrow at him as she wondered why something like a child wanting to name a horse would keep him from his duty.

"Supposed to be, yes, but there was something about this little girl that had me so transfixed that I just stood there and watched," he admitted, gently cleaning her wounds before he began to wrap fresh bandages around them. "A few minutes passed as the girl stood there on her bucket, hands on her hips in the most stubborn stance I'd ever seen, when finally several royal guards entered the stable followed by none other than the _Queen_." He glanced up at her again to see if she was catching on, but her eyes were still wide with curiosity.

"I thought surely this kid was doomed if the Queen herself had come down to see her," his voice dropped into an almost conspiratorial whisper, "but that's when I realized that this girl was none other than little Princess DG of the House of Gale."

DG's eyes grew huge at the revelation. "You're lying!"

Cain met her eyes, his expression nothing short of absolute seriousness. He placed his hand over his heart. "Gods strike me dead if I am."

"I did _not_ name that horse _Flower_!"

"Yes, you did," he stated matter-of-factly. "You told your mother that you wouldn't eat or go to bed ever again if she didn't let you have the horse. Naturally, as it was only a horse and she adored you so much, she simply smiled and let you have him. And that's how he got the name Dauntless' Envy of Little Princess' Flower, you being the 'Little Princess' and him being Flower for short."

DG, blushing from where her shoulders met her neck to the tip of her ears, covered her eyes and shook her head. "Oh my God," she muttered, "That has got to be the most embarrassing story _ever_. It's even worse than the time I jumped off the roof of the farmhouse with a cape on trying to fly and ended up breaking my arm."

Cain gave her a strange look. "You jumped off a roof?"

"I was ten."

"Still," he said, amusement in his tone, "That sounds pretty embarrassing to me."

DG's eyes lifted and she narrowed them at him. "Watch it, Mister, or I'll force Jeb to tell me embarrassing things about you. And you don't think I won't do it."

Cain held up his hands in mock surrender and then smiled a bit before deciding to change the subject. "Are you hungry?" he questioned as he finished off the last tie to her bandages and absentmindedly buttoned up the long sleeve shirt he had found in the stockpile of clothes that had been with the rest of the supplies.

DG blushed a little more as she suddenly realized that he had cut her out of her own shirt while she had been unconscious and put on the one she was now wearing. Cain didn't seem to notice the added color to her cheeks, or if he did, he wasn't saying anything. He had just been doing what was best for her and it was nothing more than that. She understood that; although, she did secretly wish she could have been awake for it just to watch Cain. She had a feeling he might have had a bit of a red-tinged face himself if she had been awake and lucid enough to slip in a few amusing innuendos.

"Starving," she replied. She hadn't eaten anything since breakfast the day before and that had only been a couple bites of an apple. She had been too excited about going riding and escaping the palace to sit down and have a proper meal.

Nodding, Cain helped her into a more comfortable sitting position and then slipped off his duster, rolling it up and tucking it behind her back so she could lean against it instead of the hard cave wall. He rose to his feet and moved over to the small stove. It seemed that he already had something cooking. He opened the pot, glancing inside before he carefully lifted it and poured some of its contents into a tin bowl. He grabbed a spoon, wiping it off on his vest, and then finally returned to DG. "It's not particularly appetizing, but it'll hold you over until we get you back to the palace."

There was a bit of an awkward moment where DG tried to take both bowl and spoon, but soon found it impossible as any movement with her right arm sent near-excruciating pain flaring through her shoulder. She frowned deeply and then looked up at Cain, her expression utterly pitiful.

The man looked almost as if he wanted to smirk, but maintained his composure and instead said, "Here, let me help you." He scooped up a little of the watery stew he had made with the spoon and lifted it to her lips. She hesitated a moment before opening her mouth and allowing him to feed her.

"It's not exactly fine royal cuisine, but–"

"It's fine, Cain," DG interrupted with a small smile. His stew wasn't actually that bad at all. "Thank you for making it."

He nodded and then offered her another spoonful. It wasn't long before she finally shook her head, indicating that she had had enough. Cain stood and walked back over to the stove where he placed the bowl down and picked up a canteen. He unscrewed the cap and offered it to her, helping her swallow a few sips before returning the cap.

"So, what were you doing outside?" DG asked after a moment.

"Checking for any signs of our friends."

"And?"

"Nothing." He moved once again over to the supplies and began packing some things into a saddle bag. "No indications at all that they made it this way."

DG pursed her lips for a moment. "So what's the plan then?"

"Well," he started as he glanced over at her, "as much as I'd prefer to travel when it's dark, there's a chance they could be following Flower's tracks right to here now that they can been seen in the light. So, we're gonna have to leave as soon as you're ready."

She cringed. "Can we please call the poor horse something else?"

Cain raised an eyebrow at her. "He's _your_ horse, Little Princess," he replied teasingly.

Her right eye narrowed at him and then she glanced over at the horse. "Well, do you know what he was supposed to be named?" she asked.

"Not a clue."

She pursed her lips and studied the stallion. "Beast? Killer? Constantine? Flash? Diesel?" She paused a beat. "Wait, I got it. …_Chuck_."

"Chuck?" Cain gave her a strange look.

"Yup, Chuck."

The man blinked, paused, glanced at the horse who was seemingly giving him an almost pleading look for help, and then turned back to what he was doing.

"What do you think about the new name, Chuck?" she asked the horse. All she got in reply was a snort. Her eye narrowed again, but didn't say anything.

Cain stood and walked over to "Chuck", slinging the saddlebags over the horse's back, slipping the middle part under the back of the saddle and securing it into place. He tightened the horse's girth and then finally turned back to DG. "We need to go. Do you think you're ready?"

"Do I have a choice?"

He frowned. He didn't want to move her, not with her injured, but they really did need to get out of there and back to the safety of the palace. It was only a matter of time before the Longcoats picked up their trail and found them.

Walking over to her, he pulled out some extra bandages and used them to make a sling for her arm before he gently pulled her forward and slipped his duster out from behind her. He unrolled it and then in a very unexpected move, or at least unexpected for DG, he slipped her good arm through the one sleeve and then wrapped the other side of the coat around her, buttoning it up. When he caught her mouth-slightly-open look of bewilderment, he shrugged slightly, saying, "It's chilly outside and the last thing I want to do is get you home to your parents with a bullet hole through your shoulder_and_ a cold. I'd be locked up for sure."

DG couldn't quite tell if he was teasing or not because his expression was so serious. "You were hardly the one who pulled the trigger," she pointed out slowly.

"No," he agreed, "But I'd certainly be responsible for the cold if you were to catch one." And in his mind, it might as well have been him who put the bullet through her. He was meant to protect her and he had failed at that. If he had just insisted that she do her lessons, or at least made her return with him to the palace after their own little riding lesson, she wouldn't have been hurt. "Now, come on."

He carefully helped her to her feet, holding her close to his side as she swayed from a wave of dizziness caused by both standing up and the blood loss she had endured. When she had stilled enough, he asked if she could walk. A slow nod of affirmation was all he needed to guide the unsteady princess over to the horse.

"You'll be sitting up front this time," he told her, "just in case you decide to pass out on me again." She didn't protest and for that he was glad. He had stacked up a few crates to step up on so that it would be easier to get on the horse. He guided her towards the first one, but upon realizing how completely woozy just walking was making her, he decided to change tact.

Without warning, he gingerly hefted her up into his arms, receiving a half squeal, half hiss and a smack in the chest from DG in return. He gave her a _look_ and she immediately stilled. "Thank you," he replied before he stepped up onto the crates and gently settled her in the saddle.

He held onto her with one hand to make sure she didn't slide off and then gathered the reins in the other before climbing on behind her. Normally he rode like any good cowboy, with only one hand holding the reins, but not this time. No, this time he wrapped both of his arms around the smaller form in front of him and held on with two. There was no way DG was going to fall off now, not if he had anything to do with it.

DG took a moment to revel in both the warmth of Cain's body up against hers and the feel of his arms wrapped around her. She closed her eyes and let out a soft, content sigh. She would gladly get shot again just for a chance at another moment like this. If Cain only knew how she felt…and even more so, if only Cain felt the same…

TO BE CONTINUED…

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(A/N: HAPPY NEW YEAR, MY PEEPS! –huggles– I'll try to get chapter six up as soon as I get to New York. I'm moving on the 3rd so things are so crazy right now, I'm sure you all understand. Thank you all for your concern for my poor sore derriere, LOL! It's still pretty much the same at the moment and Mr. Boppy Pillow rarely leaves my side. I'll be stealing it from my sister and it will be coming to NY with me. But enough about my ass.

Oh, I did want to randomly clarify something about the color of Flower/Chuck. The horses I'm basing him off of, Andalusians, come in a couple of colors, but white isn't one of them. However, they do _appear_ white, but it's legally referred to as gray. And that is why I go back and forth between calling Flower/Chuck white and gray.

Anyway, continue to stick with me, my darlings, for this isn't it! MUAHAHAHAHAHA!!! –rubs hands together wickedly– Do what you do the best ever, my favorite people! Feed the Muse! CLICKY CLICKY!!)


	6. Interrupted Lessons

_Disclaimer_: I beg you not to sue me because, because, because, because, BECAAAAUSE…because-I-don't-own-any-thing.

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**SHOUT OUTS! **

(_Author's Notes_: AS PROMISED, shout outs for both chapter 4 and 5!)

_gatedreamer (Chpt 4) – _Thanks for the bumly concerns! I'm glad you like the story!

_Vince (Chpt 4) –_ Well DUH, she's DG! And she lived in Kansas. She had to be bored enough all of the time to keep up on pop culture. HEHE! Oh, –big hugs–, hehe, AND, noooow, it's that time again! "I've had women along on past exploits and found them to be, at best, a distraction."

_Azkadellia Lovegood_ _(Chpt 4)_ – I think a kiss from Cain would make any of us feel better! –huggles– Glad I made your day, but I'm sorry Christmas was sucky for you!

_sakuralilystars (Chpt 4)_ – Hopefully chapter four and five were better! Hehehe! Thanks for reviewing!

_MidnightzStorm (Chpt 4)_ – Thank you! I'm feeling a lot better now. :-)

_Magickboxgirl (Chpt 4) _– I felt the same way when I was writing it!

_Mirgonus (Chpt 4)_ – MUAHAHA! You'll just have to wait and see!

_Salena (Chpt 4)_ – Thanks for the review! –hugs–

_neefalco (Chpt 4)_ – Yes, let us all take a moment to pet Cain because it totally deserves it. –pets him, too–

_Glitter4Ever (Chpt 4)_ – Crazy, yes, but necessary! HEHE! Thanks for the review!

_gravelgerdie (Chpt 4) _– I'm glad you like it! I definitely felt for Cain and DG when I was writing it!

_Transgenic-girl (Chpt 4) _– Yeees, peeeeeeet them. They need a lot of petting.

_SSGryffindorgirl7 (Chpt 4)_ – I'm really not sure what DG would do without Cain, and vice versa! They're just so perfect together!

_Jacqueline Roget (Chpt 4)_ – Ouch indeed!

_safarigirl83 (Chpt 4) _– Who DOESN'T love sap and angst?!

_BrowneyedGranger (Chpt 4_) – Awwww…-blush- You flatter me too much! I am but a humble writer trying to give the people what they want. Thank you, thank you for the review!

_KateCayce (Chpt 4)_ – No, no, YOU rock!

_anon (Chpt 4)_ – I'm so glad you love it! HEHE It loves you back!

_heathenseyes (Chpt 4)_ – Now that I'm back in the swing of things, if you're still up for it, I'd love to have you as a beta! –huggles– Thanks for the review!

_jwdisney (Chpt 4) _– I think we all wished for Cain under the Christmas tree! HEHE

_MythStar Black Dragon (Chpt 4)_ – It'll end up better…but not yet! MUAHAHA! Thanks so much for the review!

_celestia8907 (Chpt 4)_ – Brilliant? You've got me blushing now! LOL! I really enjoy writing the Cain/DG banter, probably as much as you like reading it!

_Gnome90 (Chpt 4)_ – HEHE! Making you jittery is totally what I was totally what I was going for! And thank you, my bum does feel better now!

_dckveg (Chpt 4)_ - YAY! I'm glad you love it! Yeah, I would imagine that cauterization would sting a bit! LOL!

_CubKitPup (Chpt 4)_ – I'm glad I could help! Lots more to come for those who wait patiently! Hehe! Thanks for the review!

_Kipling Nori (Chpt 4)_ – I want Cain to make everything all better for ME! HEHE –hugs –

_tin man fan (Chpt 4)_ – Oh, there will be a few more chapters, I promise! Thanks for the review!

_Featherhawk (Chpt 4) _– No, no, thank YOU fore reviewing! It means a lot. :)

_Dr-who-4-u (Chpt 4)_ – Oh Syd, get out of my brain! I was TOTALLY thinking that! I would take a take a burning knife to the flesh any day if I got to end up in Cain's arms!

_rika08 (Chpt 4) _– LOL!!! BREATHE! I'm so, so glad you love it! And I do believe I updated. Hmmm…hehe

_Rhonda (Chpt 4)_ – Awww, wow. It made you cry? –big huggles– Not that I wanted you to cry, but that's an extremely flattering thing to say. It's every writer's dream to be able to move someone like that!

_Vince (Chpt 5)_ – Whyyyyyy thank you! I thought the name bit was amusing myself. HEHE! Oh, you need another thingy (And you have to answer both in your next review!). Hmmm… "Never give up…"

_Featherhawk (Chpt 5)_ – I'm glad you still think the story is awesome!

_scrawn (Chpt 5)_ – Yup! I just started going taking the NYFA's 2-Year Conservatory Acting for Film program. It's been pretty awesome so far! It's so cool to know that there's another person in NY who loves the entertainment industry and _Tin Man_! HEHE!

_Thayne M. (Chpt 5)_ – Here…is…more!

_Kipling Nori (Chpt 5)_ – HEHEHE! I'm love that you love their banter! I really enjoy writing it!

_SG1SamFan (Chpt 2)_ – Hey Em! It totally DOES take forever for your Achilles tendons to stretch out and get used to being in that position when riding horses. It can be SO annoying! And OF COURSE! Hurt/comfort is one of my guilty pleasures!

_anon (Chpt 5)_ – Oh no, no, thank YOU for the review! They totally make my day!

_heathenseyes (Chpt 5) _– HEHE! Same as what I said above, if you're up for it! Pardon the pun. Thanks for the review on chpt 5! You rock!

_rika08 (Chpt 5)_ – LOL! Ok, so the updated took a LITTLE longer than I expected. Hopefully it, and the chapters after that I already have ready, are worth the wait! Thanks SO much for the review!

_CubKitPup (Chpt 5)_ – I know, right? The poor horse is going to end up with a serious complex if he doesn't already have one. ROFL!

_SG1SamFan (Chpt 5)_ – Thank YOU for reading and reviewing it! And it's so, SO true. It's more than a little unsettling to have a huge horse looming over you. It feels like just one step and you'll be squashed!

_Gnome90 (Chpt 5)_ – HERE'S CHAPTER SIX! LOL! Hooray for another NYer! And thank you for the non-broken-butt wishes. It's a lot better now!

_safarigirl83 (Chpt 5)_ – I have successfully moved and gotten into a routine for school! Updates will be a lot more frequent now! HEHE And yes, Flower. I figured the horse needed an amusing name. Thank you for again reviewing!

_Mirgonus (Chpt 5)_ – Thank you for the well wishes! NYC is definitely different than Florida, but I like it! Here's your next chapter!

_Dr-who-4-u (Chpt 5)_ – It luffs YOU!! And seriously, Stephen probably wouldn't have even let her leave the palace in the first place. Cain is just a big ol' softy deep down.

_Wolf Maid (Chpt 5)_ – I agree! They TOTALLY belong together! Thanks for lovin' it, and thanks for the review!

_Jacqueline Roget (Chpt 5)_ – EEEHEHEHE…Thank you!

_MythStar Black Dragon (Chpt 5_) – I'd definitely take a bullet for some time in Cain's arms! HEHE! Thank you so much for the review!

_dckveg (Chpt 5)_ – March 11 needs to arrive already! We need our _Tin Man_! I'm glad I can keep you occupied while we wait!

_LittleDrusilla (Chpt 5)_ – Awww! –hugs– It's SO sad when you have to leave animals behind. One of our horses is a silver dapple Arab named Star Badi El Ajzaa (Badi or Badi Ajzaa for short). He's a bit of a turd, but he's pretty to look at! Anyway, I'm glad you love the story! Thank you, thank you for the review!

_jlauren1224 (Chpt 5)_ – Thank you so much for your understanding. Now that I've settled in my apartment and gotten into my school routine, chapters will be coming a lot more frequently. YAY! Good luck with your own move! You'll love it! I'm so glad that you're enjoying the story! Thanks for the review!

_Avatre2010 (Chpt 5)_ – GoBoy, aaahahaha! That's totally awesome! Glad you love the story and thank you so much for the review!

_neefalco (Chpt 5)_ – YAY for rereading! School is going great so far and now that I'm settled, chapters will be flowing out a lot faster. Thanks so much for reviewing. It means a lot to me!

_(Whew! Done! HEHE! I hope I got everyone! If I missed anyone, PLEASE let me know! I'll give you a special shout out next chapter!)_

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**CHAPTER 6**

"If I was four or five ye-…annuals old," DG began to ask as she rested gently back against Cain as they rode quietly through the forest, keeping a sharp eye out for any Longcoats sneaking about, "how old does that make Chuck? Sixteen? Seventeen?"

The relieved –relieved because she wasn't asking about _his_ age– breath that escaped Cain's mouth came out white against the cold air and floated over DG's shoulder. "Something like that," he replied.

"He's getting up there in age then, huh?" She was really just trying to make conversation since Cain seemed to be quite content with absolute silence, an absolute silence that was driving her insane.

"Not really," Cain rumbled against her back.

She frowned slightly. "I thought the average age of horses was like…twenty, twenty-five. Something like that."

"Maybe on the Other Side," Cain said as he his eyes darted back and forth, keeping a very watchful eye on their surroundings. "Here the average age for horses is roughly sixty annuals, give or take."

"Wow, that's like…triple. That makes Mister Chuck a spry young thing then, huh? Does it work the same way for humans?" She leaned slightly to the side and glanced over her shoulder up at Cain. "Does that make _you_ a spry young thing, too?"

Cain nearly snorted at that. "Hardly."

DG pulled a face and then turned back around, resuming her position with her back against his warm chest. He might not have considered himself a "spry young thing," but he most certainly wasn't some slow old man either. No, he was quite…perfect. Or at least that's what DG thought. He was passionate, daring, strong, protective, compassionate, and loving (in his own quiet sort of way). Sure, he was as stubborn as a mule and came off as a heartless bastard sometimes, but DG saw past that, saw past the wall that he constantly tried to keep up…Well, most of the time.

"Well, I consider you to be quite spry, just to let'cha know," she told him, smirking to herself. "Especially in those pants." She was in a lot of pain and was cold, but by God, it was the truth. And since Cain wasn't being much of a conversationalist, she had to amuse herself somehow so not to dwell on how each step of the horse sent jolting pain through her shoulder, and how she was _so_ close to the man she was completely falling for, and how she loved the way it felt to be wrapped in his arms.

_Gah!_ Her mind was yelling at her now. _Dwelling!_She almost slapped herself in the forehead. Her mind was right. She was dwelling, at least on the latter two things, and it wasn't doing her a bit of good.

Cain literally coughed at that one, but didn't say anything.

DG smiled at the reaction, but also kept the rest of her thoughts to herself.

But it was then, when they had fallen silent, that it happened.

A twig snapped. The horse's ears perked up. And then suddenly before anyone could react, a huge man flew from the trees, colliding with DG and knocking both her and Cain to the cold, hard ground. They were surrounded before Cain could even pull out his pistol.

The collision had sent such agony through DG's shoulder that her vision started swimming wildly. She heard Cain shouting and felt as he was yanked away from her. A few seconds later, she was roughly pulled up to her feet by her arms, ripping a pain-filled cry from her throat right before her vision went black.

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"Cain?" DG croaked as she slowly regained consciousness for the second time that day. Her eyes fluttered open and she squinted against the tears of heated pain that welled up upon her brain's full recognition of the damage done to her shoulder.

"Shhh…" It was him. He was right above her, looming protectively over her.

It was then that she realized that her head was actually resting in his lap and his hand was gently stroking her hair. Whether he was consciously doing it, she didn't know, but she wasn't going to tell him to stop. "What happened? Where are we?"

"Ambush." She could hear the tightness in her tone as he ground out the answer. "They've taken us back to their base camp."

"Did they hurt you?"

"I'm fine."

"That wasn't my question…" She tried to sit up, but a combination of agony and Cain pushing her back down saw to it that she remained in a reclined position. She clenched her eyes closed and bit down on her bottom lip until the pain ebbed back down to a dull roar. When she opened them again, she met Cain's ice blue ones and frowned slightly at the visible bruise lining the right side of his jaw and a slow-bleeding cut above his left eyebrow. "Cain…" she breathed.

"It's fine, Princess," he tried to sooth. "_I'm_ fine."

She noticed a very _Cain_ glint in his eyes and smirked. "I should have seen the other guy, right?"

That got a return smirk out of him. "Something like that."

She nodded and then paused for a few moments to look around. "I take it we're in their…holding area."

"I believe that's what the bars indicate."

"Was that _sarcasm_, Mister Cain? Amidst a crisis?"

He was mid-way into working up another small smirk when her next question, a whisper void of all mirth, stopped him cold.

"Is it really that bad?"

Cain swallowed and then clenched his jaw. He should have known that she'd immediately pick up on the dire nature of their situation. He could tell by her tone alone that she wanted some answers and knew that no amount of joviality, true or forced, from him was going to change that. He sighed. "Yeah, it's bad."

"Tell me," she quietly commanded, silently adding, _'…what mess I've gotten us into now…'_

"DG…"

"Cain…"

He licked his lips and after glancing away for a moment, returned his gaze to hers and stated, "Your shoulder's started bleeding again." Despite his best efforts to hide it, his voice was wrought with obvious worry.

"Front or back?" she interrupted. At the moment, she hurt so much everywhere that she couldn't really tell.

"Front…"

She nodded. "Knew it felt sticky…"

Cain frowned deeply. He'd been keeping pressure on the wound since the moment they had been tossed into the makeshift cell, and it wasn't bleeding nearly as badly as it had been before, but he was still infinitely concerned.

"What else?" she prodded, her eyes never wavering as she watched him silently struggle over his need to protect her from the situation and her need to know the details of what was going on.

"Isn't that enough?"

"Cain…" She was using that tone again, that Tell-Me-Now tone she had learned from him.

"Look, I'm not really sure what's going on," he finally admitted, clenching his fist in frustration. "They haven't made a move to do anything since they brought us here. No one's been dispatched to ransom you off to your parents. No one has been by to threaten us. No one has said _one__word_ as far as what their intentions are."

DG frowned at that. She was so used to Cain just knowing everything about everything that it was more than a little scary to know that he wasn't entirely up to speed on their deadly little situation.

"So, what do you think they want?" she asked after a moment.

His eyes left hers to scan those milling about outside the bars of their cell. He studied their movements, regarding them all with cold eyes. He licked his lips. "I don't know," he finally replied, "And that's what scares me."

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Night had fallen quickly, bringing with it a bitter cold that seemed to rival that that they had gone through to get to the Northern Island. A vicious shiver snaked down DG's back as she sat against the wall next to Cain. Her teeth were winning the war over her will to keep them from chatting and each pain-filled breath was coming out in white puffs.

The only good thing about the cold was that it was making her so numb that all her aches and pains were beginning to ebb slowly away. She did not look forward to when they all returned again.

"Sensory deprivation?"

Cain glanced at her. "Hmm?"

"Sensory deprivation," she repeated. "It's something they do on the Other Side to break prisoners of war in order to get them to talk. They deprive them of things like sleep and warmth, and so on."

"Cruel."

"Yeah, it is, but I guess it's better than really _torturing _people for information."

"That sounds like torture to me…" His time in the tin suit had been like that. He had been left in there alive with nothing but his tortured thoughts to keep him company.

"Lesser of two evils?"

Cain kept his eyes straight ahead. "Different, maybe, but lesser? I don't think so."

At the realization of what he was dwelling on dawned on her, DG instinctively sought out his hand with her own as she turned toward him and blurted, "Oh Cain, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to insinuate that–"

He cut her off. "It's alright, Princess," he said softly, squeezing her hand in reassurance. "I know you didn't mean anything by it." He smiled gently at her. "This is far from sensory deprivation though."

She shrugged with her good shoulder. "They have the cold thing down," she mumbled, doing her best to tuck he chin into the collar of her shirt.

Sighing softly, Cain lifted the arm next to her, murmuring, "Come here." There was a brief moment of hesitation before she slid over, molding herself against his side. He was very careful to avoid her injured shoulder as he fully wrapped his arms around her small frame.

They sat in silence for a long time, DG resting her forehead against his neck, savoring his warmth, before she finally spoke up again. "Do you think they're looking for us?" she whispered in question.

Cain gently rubbed his hand up again down her arm, trying to warm her up as much as he could. He almost missed the question, it had been so soft. He paused only a moment before he turned his head and, into her hair, whispered softly back, "Of course. I have a feeling that they had a search party looking for you a half an hour after you disappeared."

"What are you saying, Mister Cain? That everyone expects me," _'and everyone else with me,'_ "to get in trouble?"

He smiled into her hair. "Partly," he admitted, "but more so that your parents and sister just got you back. They don't want to lose you again." He paused. "And Mickolai running back to the stables like a scared little girl probably gave them all the incentive they needed to send a party out after you."

DG let the "little girl" comment go. "But they had to know you were with me."

"True, but they'd also realize that I wouldn't put your life in danger by keeping you out late." He sighed again. "I shouldn't have let you go riding in the first place. None of this would have happened if I had just listened to my head…"

DG frowned to herself and then tilted her head up so that she could look at him. "Would you like some cheese with that whine?" He gave her a look, a look she promptly returned.

"It's my job to protect–"

She cut him off. "Yeah, yeah, _I know_. I'm your job, your duty, your ward, your protectee, your_ whatever_," she blurted before she could stop herself, "but that doesn't mean you _can_ protect me." She quickly continued before Cain could get a word in. "No offense, Cain, but once my mind is made up, it takes a hell of a lot to change it. I was gonna go for a ride regardless of what you said. You couldn't have stopped me." There was a momentary pause. "Ok, _stopped me_, yes, but changed me mind? No way."

"I still should have been able to protect you," he muttered. _'Like you protected Adora?'_ his thoughts prompted. He wanted to say that this was different, that DG wasn't Adora, but knew it was pointless. He'd just be arguing with himself. This whole mess had been his fault, his failure, just like it had been with Adora. He knew that and he hated himself for it.

No, Adora hadn't been his "job" as DG had referred to herself, but she had been his _wife_. He should have been able to protect her, and Jeb, but had failed just like he had with DG. _'Face it, Cain,' _his thoughts rang out, _'you're useless. You couldn't keep your wife and son safe, and you can't keep this girl you think you've fallen in love with safe either. She's going to die and there's nothing you can do.'_

"No."

"No?"

Cain blinked and brought his eyes back down to meet DG's. He hadn't even realized he had spoken out loud until her soft voice brought his attention back to her. "What?"

"You said 'No'…" she replied slowly.

He should his head slightly. "It was nothing."

She seemed to pick up on his thoughts though. She wrapped her arms more tightly around him and imploringly whispered, "Please don't blame yourself for this, Wyatt." She didn't even seem to realize that she had let his first name slip, simply continuing, "This wasn't your fault. It's theirs." _'And mine.'_

"You need to stop reading my mind," he sighed half-heartedly.

DG smiled. "I'm good, aren't I?"

Despite the situation, a soft chuckled bubbled up in Cain's chest and slipped through his lips. Only DG… "Yes, yes you are, but if you tell anyone I admitted that, boring classes will be the least of your worries."

"Do your worst, Mister Cain," she playfully retorted, grinning cheekily at him.

"Don't tempt me," he growled a bit heatedly, his mind momentarily, and against his moral conscience, wandering to all the _things_ he could do to her. A second later, he was silently berating himself for the thoughts when he suddenly felt DG place a lingering kiss on his cheek. "DG…"

"I'm sorry," she breathed against his neck, "I just…"

He made the daring move to turn his head so that his eyes were level with hers. "I know," he somehow managed to reply, his eyes darting down to her lips and then back up again.

They drifted closer, blue eyes on blue, neither wavering. Their lips lingered mere millimeters apart. Heat caressed. Hearts thumped wildly. Looks smoldered.

And then the moment was destroyed.

"Well, well, if we didn't catch two lovebirds!" was sarcastically ground out by an unfamiliar voice before the cell door was opened and they were both roughly pulled away from each other.

TBC…

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(_A/N:_ Alright, my darlings, that's this chapter, but the next chapters are in the works and will be up very soon! You have my word on that! You had to know that I couldn't just let them arrive back at the palace without more drama!

I have settled in my apartment and into my school routine. YAY for that! And also, YAY for my bum being almost completely healed! Hopefully I'll be able to find a barn to ride at here. I just hope I won't relive the fractured tailbone fiasco. Not exciting at all. I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. Y'all are THE BEST!! Loves! CLICKY CLICKY!)


	7. Torturous Lessons

_Disclaimer_: I beg you not to sue me because, because, because, because, BECAAAAUSE…because-I-don't-own-any-thing.

**AUTHOR'S NOTES:** Ok, yes, I suck. The last time I updated this was like... I don't know, three years ago? -hangs head in shame- I have at least another 2 plus chapters written (I've had them written for like... heh, well, three years and I just never posted them... because I suck) and as I'm in a quirky, fun mood, I'm going to try my darnedest to actually wrap this story up so those who still want to read it will have some sort of closure. Or even if no one cares to read anymore, I plan to finish it for me. Love to all!

**CHAPTER 7**

"Cain!" DG called out desperately before a calloused hand clamped tightly onto her injured shoulder, tearing an agonized cry from her throat, and she was shoved down onto her knees.

Also kneeling, roughly five foot in front of her, was a very pissed-off-looking Cain. He was shooting visual daggers at the men in front of him and he was struggling against the men holding him. Even the well-aimed blows he was being assaulted with didn't stop him. It was only, finally, DG's frightened voice that stilled his movements.

DG sought out his piercing eyes with her own, silently pleading with him to behave. She didn't want to watch these men, whoever they were, beat to death the man she loved. "Stop! Please!" she begged their captors as another fist landed squarely against Cain's already-bruised jaw.

"What was that, your Highness?" a tall man with dark hair and eyes spat as he turned from Cain to face her. He looked familiar to her, but she couldn't quite place where she knew him from. "You want us to stop, do you?"

Cain was now shooting DG looks that she immediately recognized to mean "Don't say a word!" but she pointedly ignored them. "Yes," she replied, although it didn't come out quite as strongly as she had been trying for. "Please. Just-just stop…"

"Well, if the Princess of the Zone commands it–" The man whipped around, sucker-punching Cain again before he had time to react. His men broke out into cruel laughter.

DG's eyes filled with tears, but by sheer force of will, she managed to keep them from falling. She didn't want to give these creeps the satisfaction of seeing her cry.

"You see, your majesty," the man began, turning back to DG with a savage smile on his face, "we don't take orders from you or anyone else of your kind." He walked the short distance over to her and grabbed her by the chin, forcing her to look away from Cain and directly at him. "But you, on the other hand, you will be taking orders from us. Or your stay here will be _very_ unpleasant. Do you understand?"

DG clenched her jaw and remained defiantly silent.

The man's grin grew cold and then disappeared altogether. He let go of DG's jaw and straightened up a moment, glancing up at the sky. He looked as if he were going to move back over to Cain when his torso suddenly whipped around and he backhanded DG hard across the face. "You will speak when spoken to!" he bellowed in furious madness.

"DG!" Cain exclaimed, resuming his struggle against the men holding him.

The man grabbed DG by the chin again and yanked her head back to face him once more. He waited until she had blinked her large eyes open before he hissed, "Do. You. Understand?"

Bottom lip quivering slightly, DG nodded. "Yes," she managed to get out before cringing at the metallic taste of blood in her mouth and the sharp stinging of her abused cheek.

Smiling, the man let her go and straightened back up. "Good." He took a breath, brushing his greasy hair back out of his face. "Now," he started, "Mister Cain, Princess, you have some information that I want and you're going to give it to me."

DG glanced past the man, seeking out Cain's eyes again, a confused expression on her face. What could they possibly know that would warrant such treatment? Surely these men were confused…

"And if we don't?" Cain ground out.

"I believe I already addressed that," the man replied, glancing at DG's already-bruising cheek. "But if you need a clearer definition…" He raised his hand as if he were going to strike DG again.

DG quickly clenched her eyes shut and steeled herself for the blow.

Cain's eyes widened in horror and in an instant, before he could stop himself, shouted, "No!"

The man grinned and dropped his hand. "That's what I thought." He cracked his knuckles and then continued, "Now, as I was saying, you have something I want."

"What?" Cain growled in question.

"Zero."

And that's when it occurred to DG where she had seen the man before. Prior to the fall of the witch, he had worked under Zero. She thought hard, trying to remember his name. _'Jag…Jett…...__JAX__.' _His name was Jax. She had heard him being addressed by Zero back when she had been captured by the witch.

Cain frowned deeply and clenched his jaw tightly. As far as he knew, Zero was still in the tin suit he had put him. And he was not about to tell this guy where it was. The last thing the O.Z. needed was for the likes of Zero roaming free and causing havoc again.

"I haven't seen him."

Jax's brow furrowed. "Don't lie to me, Cain," he ground out, anger rising once more.

DG's eyes darted around, unsure of what to do. The look she got from Cain was once again silently screaming at her not to say anything. To her credit, she kept her mouth shut this time.

Cain shot icy daggers Jax's way.

Jax's left eye twitched ever so slightly, his hands balled up into tight fists, and the veins in his forehead and neck began to bulge out. "You're lying. And I hate being lied to." His voice was shaking with barely-restrained rage. "Now, _tell_ me."

Cain resettled his gaze on DG and kept them there, staring unwaveringly.

Growling out a tight breath, Jax looked down at the ground for a prolonged moment before he turned his attention to the icy-blue-eyed man. "Well," he started, seemingly having contained his anger, "I know the injuring you would be pointless, so…" He looked at one of the men that was holding DG and nodded.

Without pause, the man wrenched her injured arm behind her back and twisted it viciously to the point of nearly breaking it. An agonized scream tore itself from DG's chest and echoed through the trees. Her vision darkened and she was sure she was going to pass out. Unfortunately for her, she didn't.

"I ask you again," Jax growled threatening, "_where_ is Zero?"

Cain ground his teeth together furiously. He swore the moment that he managed to break away, he was going to snap Jax's neck. _No one_ touched DG and got away with it, _not ever_.

Again, neither captive spoke up.

Jax pursed his lips and crossed his arms, drumming his fingers in annoyance. A second later, he growled out a single word: "Heller."

Barely a millisecond passed before there was a sickening pop and another scream from DG was heard. The man who had her arm twisted behind her had grabbed a hold of one of her fingers and bent it back viciously, snapping it out of the socket.

Tears were now, against her will, slipping down her cheeks as she panted and fought off the pain-induced wave of nausea that was coursing through her. DG gazed desperately at Cain, wishing she knew what he wanted her to do. Obviously he didn't want Jax to know where Zero was, but he had to have some sort of plan, right? He always had a plan…

"Remembering anything yet?" Jax asked, smirking at the murderous expression on Cain's face. "She has nine fingers left and plenty more to…_work_ with. I suggest you speak up before she has to experience more pain."

Cain's eyes shone with grief and guilt as he watched DG quietly cry. His heart was hamming so hard in his chest that he thought it might burst. And it hurt, his heart hurt so much to see DG in such pain. He would have done anything to switch places with her…except maybe tell where Zero was, not after they had already gone through so much to keep the secret.

Jax signaled to Heller again.

Or at least he couldn't tell the _truth_ about where Zero was.

"Stop!" Cain suddenly exclaimed as he watched Heller prepare to brutalize another of DG's fingers. "Just…_stop_."

Heller paused and glanced at his boss. Jax nodded to him after a second and he let go of DG's hand.

"Where is he, Cain?"

Cain's jaw tensed and then he finally ground out, "He's at the palace. In prison."

Jax narrowed his eyes at him. "That's not what I was told."

"Well, what you were told is wrong. He's in the high security lock-up. Very few people have access to him…for obvious reasons."

A beat passed. Jax licked his lips and drummed his fingers. "You better be telling the truth, Cain, or your princess is _really_ going to feel the pain." He reached over and ran his knuckles down one of DG's cheek. "I've got a lot of lonely men…" They were a few chuckles from the group. "And they'd all appreciate a little time with her to _thank_ her for ruining their lives."

DG visibly shuddered at that despite her best effort to contain it. A few more tears escaped her doe eyes and her breath hitched in her throat. She really just wanted to go home now.

Jax looked around at his men. "We move tomorrow night. Get them out of my sight."

Cain and DG were hauled up onto their feet and taken back to their makeshift cell. They were tossed inside and the door was locked behind them. And then they were left alone once more.

In an instant, Cain was at DG's side. He whispered her name as he pulled back the shaking hand that she had covering her eyes and, upon seeing the tears streaking down her face, carefully coaxed her up into his arms. He hugged her tightly to him, cradling her head to him with his hand.

Unable to contain herself any longer, DG started sobbing. She buried her face into Cain's neck and clutched tightly onto his vest with her uninjured hand.

"Shhh, it's ok," he soothed. "It's over now."

"I want to go home," she whimpered.

"I know, Sweetheart. I know," he whispered into her hair, rocking her gently back and forth as she continued to cry. "I'll get you home. I promise." He just hoped he could keep his promise.

_TBC..._

(_A/N's:_ More to come! If it doesn't arrive soon, you have my permission to strap me to the munchkin flayer and listen to me squeal as I peel... until, ya know, I update. -shifty eyes- Review if you please.)


	8. Nauseating Lessons

_Disclaimer_: I beg you not to sue me because, because, because, because, BECAAAAUSE…because-I-don't-own-any-thing.

**AUTHOR'S NOTES:** Thank you all so much for the reviews and the sweet encouragement! It truly means a lot to me!

**SHOUT OUTS:**

_LittleMender:_ HAHA! Thank you for your rush of reviews and kind words. When I decided to continue this story a few days ago, I was quite sure that no one would want to read it since it'd been so long since the end of "Tin Man". You absolutely changed my mind!

_scrawn:_ I'm so happy to see your review! I hope your film/screenwriting is going well (or has gone well? I reckon you're done or almost done at NYU by now, right?)!

_bkwrm:_ - Oh, bkwrm, I'm probably THE WORST person about leaving stories in unfinished oblivion, but I'm DETERMINED not to let this story be one of them! Thank you so much for the review!

_TabathaBrewer:_ -giggles- You are seriously too sweet! Your kind words were just the encouragement I needed to prove to myself that there were people out there that would actually care if I finished this story or not!

_Lynda:_ I'm so glad you're here to finish up this journey with me and the characters. Your review means so much to me! Thanks!

_KLCtheBookWorm: _OMG, RIGHT? DG will seriously never leave the palace without Raw at her side ever again! HAHA! Thank you for your review!

**CHAPTER 8**

It took a while for DG to calm down. She had positioned herself so that she was sitting across Cain's lap with her head resting on his broad shoulder and her face nuzzled tightly against the side of his neck. She knew that it was a very childlike position to take up, but she didn't care. She needed it, needed _Cain_.

He didn't seem to mind either way. Hell, his protective grip hadn't loosened or wavered once since they had been tossed back into the cell. He had one arm wrapped tightly around her while the other was looped up over her front and around her head, cradling it to him as he gently stroked her hair with his fingers.

Every so often, undoubtedly for no other reason than he just felt compelled to, Cain would turn his face into DG's dark locks and press a soft kiss there. He didn't even seem to notice that he was doing it. DG wasn't about to point it out and have him stop.

DG had just begun to relax enough to start to doze off when Cain's soft, but seemingly stricken voice saw to it that she didn't.

"DG…" he began slowly, his eyes drifting down to her mangled finger. He felt her stir against him and tilt her head upward so she could look at him. He met her gaze. "I need to relocate your finger…" he stated solemnly.

She immediately shook her head.

"DG," he sighed against her forehead. "I _have_ to."

"No, Cain," she said hoarsely.

Closing his eyes, Cain inhaled a deep, controlled breath before continuing, "If I don't, it could end up permanently damaged. You might not be able to use it again…"

DG blinked at the tears that were threatening to start falling again. "Raw can fix it when we get back to the palace," she tried to reason.

He shook his head. "He's still going to have to relocate it before he heals it, and by then, there could be damage that he can't fix. It could fuse in the position it's in. You don't want him to have to break it, relocate it, and then set it, do you?"

"No," she hesitatingly whimpered, feeling very much like a terrified child at that moment.

"Right," he said softly, reaching to gently brush away an escaped tear from her bruising cheek. "So, I have to do this now so that doesn't have to happen, ok?"

There was a long, reluctant pause from DG before she finally nodded, unable to actually answer verbally for fear that her voice would fail her.

Cain settled DG with a gentle look, a loving gaze that he'd found himself giving her more and more as time passed. He nodded, more to himself than to her, and then repositioned DG so that he could use both of his hands.

DG whimpered both at the loss of his warm body against hers and anticipation of what was to come. She knew this was _really_ going to hurt and just thinking about it made her nauseous.

Cain dipped his head a bit so that he was at her eye level. "Keep your eyes on me," he told her as he took her injured hand into his.

"Cain…" she choked out, her bottom lip quivering.

"Hey, hey, none of that," he chided. "You're a princess. Suck it up and act like one."

DG's eyes grew wide in shocked incredulity. "_Excuse_ me?" she half breathed, half spat. She couldn't believe he had just said that to her!

And half a second later, she realized why he had.

In her heated moment, while her mind was off of her finger, Cain had taken the opportunity to snap the mangled digit back into its rightful place. An agonized yelp tore itself from DG's throat and bounced off of the rock-face that made up three of the four walls, the floor and the ceiling of the cell, leaving her panting and desperately fighting the urge to throw up.

She ultimately lost the battle with her stomach though and it declared its victory by decorating the ground with what little she had had left in there from breakfast that morning. All that remained afterwards was a shaking shell of a woman.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry," Cain whispered over and over as he pulled her hair up out of the way and rubbed her back in soothing circles. After a few minutes, when he was sure she was finished, he began pulling her back to him.

DG instinctively followed his lead and buried her face in his shoulder, muffling her hiccuped sobs into his shirt.

"Shhh…it's over," he whispered into her hair. "It's all over."

_TBC..._

(_A/N's:_ Goodness, I have a serious issue with torturing people, haha. Whoops! It's a short chapter, but a chapter nonetheless! More is on its way!)


	9. Love Lessons

_Disclaimer_: I beg you not to sue me because, because, because, because, BECAAAAUSE…because-I-don't-own-any-thing.

**SHOUT OUTS:**

_KLCtheBookWorm: _Right? No worries, though, I'll make it all better for them soon!

_TabathaBrewer: _-huggles- Here's your chapter! Sorry it took so long. Hopefully you'll like the sweetness in this chapter, too!

_Chaimera: _Oh Lord, what a fun drinking game that'd be! Haha! We'd all be sloshed at the end of it! Glad you're enjoying the story!

_LittleMender: _I wouldn't worry too much. I have no doubt that those at the palace realize DG and Cain are missing and are searching for them! -grin- Thanks for the review!

_Brikyzbabe: _No worries, my dear! I may have alluded to something of that sort, but I have no intention of writing anything like it. -hugs- Thank you so much for reading and reviewing! DG/Cain are definitely my OTP, too! (Obviously, hehehe.)

_Nad62086: _YAY for you still reading! And thank you also for the review! It means a lot! Hope you like this chapter, too!

**CHAPTER 9**

Cain was still holding DG when the suns rose. She had so completely exhausted herself with all her crying that she had fallen asleep in his arms shortly after he had relocated her finger. He hadn't slept though. He'd stayed awake to watch over her, determined not to let her be hurt again.

DG began to stir, but didn't wake. She twitched and frowned in her sleep, and then began to struggle against some unseen force. A few moments later, she whimpered quietly and started to murmur in a distressed manner. It was obvious that the dream she was having was not a good one.

Reaching up with his free hand, Cain gently brushed her hair back off of her face. He frowned deeply upon feeling the heat radiating off of her pale skin. He knew he really needed to get her home to a healer, and he needed to do it fast.

DG's quiet mutterings were beginning to get louder and more coherent. Cain could now somewhat understand what she was saying. When he heard his own name being whimpered in the most desperate way, he immediately felt compelled to wake her.

"DG," he whispered, "Sweetheart, wake up." Her eyes fluttered under their lids, but they didn't open. "Come on, Princess," he continued to try, "open those beautiful eyes for me."

There was a pregnant pause and then, "Don't call me 'Princess'…"

He smirked. "Sorry. You were dreaming."

"Yeah...," she murmured, but didn't elaborate any further. Finally though, she opened her eyes. Her vision was blurry, her throat was dry, and her head was pounding. "M'hot…"

"I know," Cain replied, brushing her sweat-dampened bangs to the side again. "I'd have to check to be sure, but I think it's your shoulder. It's probably infected."

She groaned and lifted her good hand to her forehead. "Great," she breathed weakly, "Wonderful, fabulous, _great_." She flopped the limb back down into her lap. "Are we sure this isn't a nightmare?"

He gave her a sympathetic look. "Sorry, Sweetheart."

The smallest of smiles graced DG's pale lips. "I like that better."

"Hmm?"

"'Sweetheart,'" she clarified. "I like that better than 'Princess'."

It was seemingly the first time that Cain had realized he'd used that term of endearment when addressing her. His face flushed a bit, but he didn't look away. "I'm not sure of what your parents would think of that…" he said rather pathetically.

"Which ones?"

"Both set?" he offered.

"Well, I don't really care what they think, at least not when pertaining to you," she told him matter-of-factly, though her tone was a bit weak.

"What exactly does that mean?" he asked, his eyebrow rising in curiosity. He knew he shouldn't be venturing into _this_ territory, but he just couldn't seem to stop himself.

She shrugged with her good shoulder and glanced away, not really knowing how to explain.

Cain swallowed and nodded even though she wasn't looking at him anymore. "Ah," was all he said before falling silent. _Shouldn't have asked_, he berated himself. He'd known that that was the sort of answer he was going to get. Foolish fantasies of an old man didn't come true just because they were wished for so fervently.

DG closed her eyes again and silently yelled at herself. What she was she thinking? Oh, wait, she wasn't! That was the problem. She'd always had an issue with keeping her mouth shut and this moment was no different. In fact, this moment was so much worse.

What was she expecting exactly? She'd confess her true feelings to Cain and then -bam!- suddenly, he'd forget all about his beloved Adora and love her instead? Ha! How incredibly laughable was that? Cain thought of her as a child and even worse, his job. Ok, yes, there _had_ been that moment the day before when they'd almost kissed, but that could have been attributed to a many number of things. Delirium, for one thing. They'd definitely both been through a lot and it was completely plausible that they were slightly out of their minds. Or there was always near-death desperation –they both had had pretty valid reasons to believe they might die that day and neither had wanted to meet their Maker (makers?) without one last kiss. It hadn't even really been "a moment," she decided. No, it had just been a...a...

_Oh good God!_ she grumbled at herself in her head. There had _absolutely_ been a moment there. She couldn't deny it no matter how she tried. She'd felt it, and she was pretty sure he'd felt it, too. It had been real. There was no talking herself out of that. But what did that really mean? They had the hots for each other? Most definitely. But was it love?

She sighed softly and shifted a little, planning to push herself up out of his arms to give herself a little space to think, but immediately thought better of it when her whole body screamed bloody murder at her. Ok, so, no moving. She was stuck in Cain's arms. She almost snorted at that. She could definitely think of worse places to be, that was for sure.

If Cain suspected her intentions to move away from him, he didn't show it. He simply adjusted his arms a bit so that she was propped up a little more, all while keeping his gaze outside of the bars that held them.

_Alright, so... love_, her mind supplied so she could continue on with her pre-moving train of thought. For her, she knew it was love. As much as she'd tried, she just couldn't deny it any longer, not with death looming so closely over her. She'd never felt this way about anyone before. Her waking thoughts were always of Cain, as were her last thoughts before she fell asleep. She fantasized about him at night and daydreamed about him during her waking hours. Every look from him sent her heart into overdrive and every smile, no matter how slight, made her feel over the moon. She could spend the day just watching him breathe and be perfectly content. She'd never thought feelings so strong and so true could exist, but they did with Wyatt Cain.

She'd thought at first that maybe it was just a crush, a little something that the girlish side of her had developed about the man who had protected her so fiercely on her journey through the O.Z., but those feelings had never faded. The more she'd gotten to know Cain, the deeper her feelings for him had grown. And now she could no longer deny that it was love.

She loved him.

_She loved Wyatt Cain._

A sudden boldness seized her and her heart started speeding up in her chest. She loved him. She _loved_ him! And she couldn't keep it to herself anymore, especially not when there was a good chance they weren't going to make it out of the situation they were now in. She _had_ to tell him.

"Ok, look," she started. Cain brought his cool eyes down to meet hers and all of a sudden, her tongue felt ten sizes too big. _Dammit_. Her wave of boldness abruptly fizzled like a balloon that had lost all its air. Cain cocked an eyebrow at her and her jaw started floundering up and down, making her look very much like a fish out of water, but suddenly, after a few more moments, she found words fumbling over her tongue and out of her mouth as if they had minds of their own.

"I just…well, I-uh-I…um…I...you see, I, um...uh..." She took a breath and then blurted, "I have these…feelings." And then she silently groaned at herself, wanting to slap herself in the forehead for the utter lameness of that declaration.

Cain's other eyebrow shot up to meet to the first one. "For me?" he questioned before he could stop himself. He berated himself again for the thoughtless inquiry, but also knew that deep down, he really needed to hear her say it.

DG flushed a bright crimson and ducked her head as she answered, "Yes…"

There was a long beat where Cain just stared at DG and DG just stared at her hands. It seemed that neither really knew what to do or say.

Until…

"I do, too," Cain quietly told her.

Her head shot up and she was visibly surprised to see that Cain's face had drifted closer to hers, once again leaving only centimeters between them. DG could feel his warm breath caressing her cheek and his arms unconsciously tightening around her, drawing her in closer until she could feel his heart pounding as if it were in her own chest.

DG just couldn't help herself. "You have feelings for _you_?" The expression that flitted across her face was one of sweet, childish amusement.

He narrowed an eye at her. "No."

"For me?" she prodded, needing desperately to hear it from him as much as he had needed to hear it from her.

"No," he repeated.

DG's heart suddenly sank and she swallowed hard, her face draining of color.

"For Glitch." His own amusement lit up his ice blue orbs.

Relief washed over her, and she quickly reached out, slapping him in the chest in a very DG way of saying, "Don't do that!"

A soft chuckle, one that only they could hear, escaped Cain's lips.

She poked him hard. "That was _not_ funny, Wyatt," she scolded. It wasn't nice to play around with an ill and injured lovesick woman!

He smiled softly at her and brushed her hair back over her shoulder, his calloused fingers gently caressing the milky flesh of her neck, sending delicious shivers down her spine. "Say it again," he said huskily.

One of her delicate eyebrow rose at his tone. "Say what?"

"My name."

DG smiled at him. "Wyatt–"

She had barely gotten the word out before his lips suddenly came crashing down on hers. Her mind just about exploded right there and then. She was sure her heart had stopped, she couldn't breathe, and her mind was absolute mush.

And then it seemed to reboot itself. Instead of just focusing on the feel of Cain's lips against hers and his hand cupping her cheek, she suddenly noticed her own urge and began kissing him back for all she was worth.

Lips crushed. Tongues dueled. Arms tightened and pulled until there was absolutely no space between the two.

Eventually, though, the need for oxygen won over all else and they parted, but just barely. They rested their foreheads against each other's and panted quietly as their lungs drew in fresh air.

"You have feelings for me," DG whispered reverently, sounding almost as if she couldn't believe it.

"Yes," he replied, his thumb gently brushing over her cheek, "I do."

She chewed her bottom lip for a moment, savoring the taste of him that still lingered there. Suddenly, though, she felt strangely and profoundly shy, but the need to ask the question couldn't be denied. Her eyes sought out his. "Do you…_love_ me?"

"Of course." His tone was almost casual.

One of her eyes narrowed. "I don't mean like…like a friend or a family member." DG had always considered herself to be quite bold, but right now she couldn't have been any more timid or unsure. She was surprised she had even gotten as far as she had. "I mean…like…"

Cain kissed her forehead and pulled her into a gentle hug, ducking his head to rest his lips against her shoulder. "I know what you mean, DG."

She involuntarily shivered at the sensation of his hot breath against the crook of her neck. "But?"

"No buts."

There was a silent beat. "Ok. So…?"

"So…I love you." Cain was actually surprised that he had managed to say it. He had rehearsed it in his head so many times, dreamt about it even, but never once truly believed that he would say it to her. He had always thought of his affection for her as some desperate ploy of his mind to get over the death of Adora, or as some twisted fantasy of an old man. Never once had he considered that she would actually reciprocate any of his feelings.

DG felt tears prick at her eyes. She was definitely sure that this was a dream now. Wyatt Cain had just openly admitted that he loved her. Any time now someone was going to pinch her and wake her up, she was sure of it.

Cain frowned at the silence that had fallen and immediately assumed that he had said something wrong. Maybe he'd been wrong about the reciprocation. "Look, DG…" he began to backtrack, "I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable. I just…" He sighed. "I shouldn't have said anything."

DG pulled back so fast that she almost gave herself whiplash. "Oh, no you don't, Wyatt Cain," she scolded, frowning. "You do not say something like that and then take it back."

A beat passed. A confused expression changed slowly into a cheeky smirk, and then Cain nodded. "Your father is right. You really _are_ a pistol."

She gave him a look. "I know you're a little out of practice as far as the whole 'wooing girls' thing goes, but you seriously have to know that bringing up a girl's father, and even more, agreeing with him, totally puts a damper on things."

It was his turn to give her a look. "I'm not _that_ out of practice…" he grumbled.

Giggling softly, DG reached up, lacing her finger through the short hair at the back of his head, and pulled him toward her. She placed a chaste kiss against his lips and then cupped his cheek, gazing lovely up at him. After a moment, she whispered, "I love you, too."

Cain smiled. It was one of the few truly genuine smiles he had ever smiled since DG had met him. Seeing it made her heart flutter with joy.

With a relieved and happy sigh, Cain once again pulled the princess to him, kissing her tenderly before leaning his forehead back against hers. "You have no idea how wonderful it is to hear you say that."

She smirked. "You'd be surprised."

_TBC..._

(_A/N's:_ I don't know about y'all, but I'm feeling a little bit wibbly over here! I thought about dragging things out longer before writing the love confessions, but ultimately decided to bite the bullet. Poor DG and Cain really needed a momentary reprieve from all the chaos and pain anyway, haha, and what better reprieve could there be than confessions of love? Hopefully it's alright! I just started school again, so my next update may take a few days, but I'll try my best to be as quick as possible!)


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